paint the town red

present singular third person paints the town red · participle present painting the town red · participle past painted the town red · past painted the town red · alternative paint the town

1. idiomaticTo party or celebrate in a rowdy, wild manner, especially in a public place.

   It was the end of term and students decided to celebrate by painting the town red.

   4 more examples

   With regard to Mrs. Brown-Potter, as acting is no longer considered absolutely essential for success on the English stage, there is really no reason why the pretty bright-eyed lady who charmed us all last June by her merry laugh and her nonchalant ways, should not—to borrow an expression from her native language—make a big boom and paint the town red.

   1887 March, Oscar Wilde, The American Invasion

   After that dinner at MacFen's he was done for—went wild. Danced a sword-dance, or a strathspey, or some other blamed thing, on the table, and yelled louder than the pipes. So they all did. Jack, I've painted the town red once myself.

   1894, Bret Harte, “The Heir of the McHulishes”, in A Protegee of Jack Hamlin's and Other Stories

   Half a dozen cowboys cantered up the main street of Los Portales in a cloud of dust. One of them, older than the rest, let out the wild yell. […] A second flung into the blue sky three rapid revolver shots. Plainly they were advertising the fact that they had come to paint the town red and did not care who knew it.

   1919, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 8, in A Man Four-Square

   Bitch, I said what I said / I'd rather be famous instead / I let all that get to my head / I don't care, I paint the town red

   2023, “Paint The Town Red”, in Scarlet, performed by Doja Cat